


Caveat

by narsus



Category: Cabin Pressure
Genre: Backstory, Emotional Manipulation, Infidelity, M/M, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-22
Updated: 2012-04-22
Packaged: 2017-11-04 03:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/389173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narsus/pseuds/narsus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The history between them is really more of a cautionary tale.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caveat

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Cabin Pressure belongs to John Finnemore and BBC Radio 4.

It’s been years of course. Long enough to allow Douglas to dilute the memory and substitute something far more suitable in its place. Still, its instinct that has him cutting off Herc’s mocking drawl with an impromptu introduction to Carolyn. No need to bring up the last time that Herc was a Captain and Douglas a mere First Officer. Besides, it’s not as if Herc will be around long enough for any of that to make a difference to anything. Douglas just needs to survive one short flight up to Newcastle and then he need never lay eyes on Hercules Shipwright ever again.

Of course nothing quite goes to plan when Douglas has to factor Herc into the equation, and shortly thereafter, his presence becomes a regular occurrence at Fitton. At least Herc’s interactions are usually confined to Carolyn and occasionally Arthur for the most part. Douglas will grant that Herc does seem to genuinely be fond of Arthur, a trait which Carolyn, no doubt, will prize rather highly in a man. Similarly, Herc hasn’t attempted to assert any sort of authority over Martin and, in fact, has been quite genial towards him, and goodness knows that Martin flies better when he isn’t feeling like he has to prove a point. Overall, Herc hasn’t been a terrible addition to their circle. He’s charming, polite, witty and just that little bit self-depreciating when it comes to his own qualities. All in all, he’s rather annoyingly perfect for what he is. Which is why his entire presence has Douglas’ hackles up.

It had happened years ago when the both of them had been a fair bit younger, and in Douglas’ case, slimmer too. Herc had been promoted before Douglas, and that evening, they’d somehow managed to break away from the rest of the raucous party that had occurred to celebrate. Herc had been so bloody self-depreciating about his promotion, so very charming about how he still valued and _admired_ Douglas anyway, that the only reason that nothing had happened right there and then was because somebody had been sent stumbling over to find them and drag them back towards the bar. Afterwards, Douglas had put all thoughts of that particular moment of out of his mind. He’d told himself that it had just been the alcohol and the heat and the closed in atmosphere. He’d tried to ignore the same fission of tension, excitement, terror that sparked the next time they’d met, and then the time after that, and the next one.

Perhaps, if he’d tried hard enough, if he’d been worldly enough or bold enough, he could have shaken Herc off. Perhaps if he’d just managed to get a grip on the situation he could have avoided all those intimate moments between them. But, in truth, he hadn’t wanted to. He’d been quite willing to let Herc steer him away from the crowd and pull him down onto intimate couches at the back of any bar. They’d only ever talked, casually, of irrelevant things but Herc had made Douglas the centre of his attention, and the feeling had been almost obscenely thrilling. Nothing had happened then, nothing more intimate than conversation, than the brush of arms as they sat together, the brush of fingers as a fresh round of drinks was handed over, the hot tickle of Herc’s breath against his ear because it was too loud to be heard otherwise. For all its intensity, whatever it was between them, had occurred within an accepted and non-sexual boundary, Douglas’ feelings notwithstanding.

In the lead up to Herc’s first marriage they’d seen each other less frequently. By then they’d started meeting, just the two of them, away from everybody else. Douglas enjoyed cooking so it had made perfect sense to invite Herc over for dinner, just as it must have made perfect sense for Herc to be taking Douglas to the opera. There had been less contact when it had started to look like Herc might genuinely want to marry this girl in particular but that was to be expected. Douglas had missed their time together but hadn’t thought to argue it. It wasn’t as if he had any particular claim on Herc’s time beyond that of friendship. Then suddenly Herc had taken to wanting to meet more often, ringing him at strange hours and practically whispering down the line, as if he was trying to hide his conversation from somebody else. Douglas had wondered if something was going wrong between Herc and his girlfriend but, again, that sort of thing was to be expected, and as a friend he was obliged to be a shoulder to lean on. Except friends didn’t normally put their hand on your knee or try to crowd you in so that you were pressed into the corner of a dimly lit booth. Friends didn’t, as far as Douglas understood, tell you that you were so much easier to be with because you didn’t make irrational demands. Friends didn’t kiss you and whisper that they couldn’t help falling for you, did tell you that you were beautiful even though their eyes strayed over your shoulder towards the bedroom door.

Douglas wouldn’t abdicate blame entirely of course. He could have refused Herc’s advances, he could have deliberately put some distance between them, especially when the strange phonecalls and what were essentially pleas for his company had begun. Of course he’d been young then, a hopeless romantic, and Herc had been utterly charming and, supposedly, naive in his adoration of Douglas. These days, Douglas is pretty certain that the latter was all a lie. Herc had known what he was doing and had simply figured out the most expedient way to get Douglas into bed. If it had happened only the once Douglas might have forgiven him, but he’d been sleeping with Herc right up until the latter’s marriage. After that, at least, it all ought to have ended. It would have ended if not for Herc’s ability to sound so helpless and self-aware of his failings, while still, at the same time, angling for whatever he wanted. The minute the idea of divorce was on the table Herc had started pursuing him again and Douglas, perhaps wanting to believe that Herc was sincere and had simply made a terrible mistake, had succumbed to his charms once again.

Quite how they managed it, that disastrous pattern between Herc’s four marriages and Douglas’ three defies his understanding even now. It had been easy to agree to meet again, believing, or at least telling himself that he believed, that he was merely going to offer moral support this time. Easy to allow that sympathy to melt into the same desire to succumb every single time. It had taken him years to finally muster up the strength to refuse, which was why he hadn’t known about Herc’s fourth divorce, why he’d managed to stay married to Helena for so long. Yet, it had been a crushing defeat of sorts to have Herc accept, so amiably, that Douglas didn’t want to see him again. Of course theirs hadn’t been a grand romance: Herc had just been opportunistic. Which is why it worries Douglas, even now, when Martin points out that he likes the man. Douglas may have been ruined entirely by that man but he’ll be damned if he allows it to happen to anybody else on his watch.


End file.
